Services for Developers

Downtown Development Districts Grant Program

The Downtown Development Districts Act was created to leverage state resources in a limited number of designated areas in Delaware's
cities and towns to:

spur private capital investment in commercial business districts and other neighborhoods;

stimulate job growth and improve the commercial vitality of our cities and towns; and

help build a stable community of long-term residents in our downtowns and other neighborhoods.

Under this Act, funding was allocated through the General Assembly to DSHA for the purpose of establishing and administering the DDD
Grant Program. Investors who make Qualified Real Property Investments (QRPI) to commercial, industrial, residential, and mixed-use
buildings or facilities may apply to DSHA for a DDD Grant.

To be Eligible to Apply for a DDD Grant

The QRPI must be made within the boundaries of a designated DDD.

The QRPI must be made in conformance with the approved District plan.

The QRPI must be in excess of the required MQIT (deductible) and minimum QRPI for the specific set-aside.

The QRPI must be made after the date the real property location is officially incorporated within the boundary of a designated District.

The Investor must meet site control requirements (e.g. legal title, sales agreement, or owner's consent).

Learn more about Delaware's DDD Program
Click the link above to view an Adobe Spark Page on Downtown Development Districts which highlights incentives offered by each of Delaware's
eight DDD communities designated in 2015 and 2016. Within the Spark Page, view statewide DDD and City of Dover interactive maps, a video on
the City of Milford's DDD, and project photos. This Spark Page was developed by the University of Delaware's Institute of Public
Administration in cooperation with the Delaware State Housing Authority, Office of State Planning Coordination, and Delaware Department of
Transportation.

Centralized DDD Incentives Site
The Office of State Planning Coordination maintains this website, which includes information on all available incentives from state and
local partners. Available incentives include DDD grants, Delaware Historic Tax Credits, bridge loans, expedited
permitting, funding for architectural and engineering work, property tax abatements and more.

Grant Opportunities for Pursuing U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Silver Certification
DSHA received a Strategic Opportunity Funds for Adaptation (SOFA) grant to pay for third-party costs associated with achieving the U.S.
Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification. This grant is capped at $30,000 per
building or facility regardless of documented third-party costs.

January 11, 2015 The Governor announced the initial three DDD Districts: Dover, Seaford and Wilmington.

August 10, 2016 The Governor announced five additional DDD Districts: Georgetown, Harrington, Laurel, Milford and Smyrna.

The corresponding District Plans for the newly designated Districts will serve as the focal point for coordinated action by state, local,
and private entities.

For additional information including District Plans and Maps for each of the designated Districts, please use the link below:Office of State PlanningInteractive Map
- Use this link to determine if a property is located within a designated District

Available Funding

DSHA has established two funding set-asides for DDD Grant awards, the Small Project Set-Aside and the Large Project Set-Aside, to ensure a variety of projects have ample access to the DDD funding.

The Large Project Set-Aside has been further divided into a General Pool and a District Pool to ensure all Districts have reasonable access to the DDD funding. As with the initial round of funding for the first three designated Districts, DSHA has allocated 50% of the Large Project Set-Aside to each of the pools.

District allocations are based on the populations of each District.

FUNDING SET-ASIDE

AVAILABLE

MQIT (1)

MAXIMUM AWARD

SMALL Project Set-Aside *

$ 1,000,000

$ 15,000

$50,000 per building or facility

LARGE Project Set-Aside **

$ 8,075,000

$ 25,000

$1,500,000 per building or facility (2)

* Approximate balance. Applications processed daily.

** BREAKDOWN OF LARGE PROJECT SET-ASIDE

(1) The Minimum Qualified Investment Threshold (MQIT) for Large Projects is the minimum amount of
Qualified Real Property Investments (QRPI) required to be made by an Investor to qualify for a Large
Project DDD Grant. The MQIT for Large Projects is treated similarly to a deductible and is
not eligible for a Grant. The MQIT for Small Projects is the required minimum
investment only and is eligible for a Grant.

(2) DDD Grants are limited to $1,500,000 per building or facility within a five-consecutive-year period,
starting with the year in which a grant is first awarded or reserved. A $1,500,000 Grant requires a
QRPI greater than $41,000,000.

General Pool

$ 4,037,500

District Pool

$ 4,037,500

Dover

$ 557,175

Seaford

$ 141,313

Wilmington

$ 1,833,025

Georgetown

$ 464,312

Harrington

$ 153,425

Laurel

$ 141,313

Milford

$ 395,675

Smyrna

$ 351,262

TOTAL LARGE PROJECT

$ 8,075,000

How to Apply

Please refer to the DDD Grant Program Guidelines which can be found below for details on available funding, how to apply, important dates, eligibility
requirements, and the DDD Grant process.

Important Dates

March 14, 2017 DDD Grant Program information for the new funding round posted to DSHA Website

May 15, 2017 Large Project Reservation applications due to DSHA by 4:00 p.m.

Documentation

Please download and review the documents below to learn more about the DDD Grant Program, to obtain forms, and to determine if you qualify.